Oh, I forgot to mention, I drove a 6-speed Fit

"PanchoVilleneuve ST" (PanchoVilleneuve)
07/05/2014 at 16:31 • Filed to: None

In the ultimate example of "this will sit on the lot until Pestilence blows his horn", it was purple, but that doesn't matter. Holy fuck does Honda know how to make a shifter. I want one more than I've wanted any car in a while, including more Oppo-approved cars like the Fiesta ST. It's that perfect combination of perfectly taut chassis, engine that loves abuse, shifter that's a joy to operate and just slightly less power than you'd want in a car. It is so much unbelievable awesome fun that I wonder why anybody would ever consider anything else.

I've long had an affection towards underpowered cars with good, simple mechanics and a solid chassis, hence my 10 year relationship with a 2004 Scion xB, but I can honestly say the current Fit is the best such car I've ever driven. It's the first car I've driven that has made me not feel guilty about leaving my beloved square car.

I love a slight bit of "you're really pushing it, I wasn't built for this but OK I'll do it anyway" in a car. That whole exceeding the limits of engineering thing. The xB had it in spades, being an over-tall Echo and all that, but driving something that paired that willingness to go too far with the ability to do so in a totally effortless fashion made me fall in love in a way that doesn't feel like cheating.

I will always adore how the xB had a seating position that felt like sitting at the dinner table and a shift throw that could be measured in astronomical units, but the way the Fit combines unashamed econobox soul with absolute mechanical precision has won me over. I drove a friend's first generation Fit. It was great. This is better. Anybody who says the new Fit is less fun than the old ones is an idiot and should be the target of your mockery and derision.

It's all just a matter of waiting for the proceeds from the sale of my late grandfather's house to clear Oakland city hall and I will be able to fulfill the stipulation in his will that all inherited funds be put towards buying his grandkids a new car.

I miss you Grandpa Giuseppe, and thanks for the new Honda.

DISCUSSION (26)

feather-throttle-not-hair > PanchoVilleneuve ST
07/05/2014 at 16:43

I've never driven a Fit, but this doesn't surprise me. I swear, if i listed the top ten manual transmissions i've ever shifted, 8 of them would be Hondas and BMWs.

I am a big fan of the Civics that came out in the 90's. Simple, yet somehow they welcome and invite fun and whimsical times with the way they drive. Oh sure, most of them were ruined by tuners, but stock they are supremely fun for what they are.

I've been told that the fit recaptures the feel of those older civics.

NotUnlessRoundIsFunny > PanchoVilleneuve ST
07/05/2014 at 16:44

It's that perfect combination of perfectly taut chassis, engine that loves abuse, shifter that's a joy to operate and just slightly less power than you'd want in a car.

I've long had an affection towards underpowered cars with good, simple mechanics and a solid chassis...

This.

I've had so much fun in solid, cheap little cars. I had a Civic that I drove the wheels off of, and it was just so...sincere.

Nice shifter, decent power, the controls all worked like they should and felt attached to the car and the road, and it just kept going, year after year. You could drive it at 30MPH and feel like you were getting away with something, and it never, ever left you stranded.

The Fit sounds like an excellent choice. It seems to be one of the only cars they make right now that resemble the "old" Honda.

Dsscats > PanchoVilleneuve ST
07/05/2014 at 16:51

I drove a 5 speed. Have you driven other cars :P ? It was terrible! The clutch was super vague and the suspension rolled like there was no tomorrow. The shifter was pretty good, but the engine lacked any low down power and I was pretty disappointed. I stalled twice on a hill start because the clutch was so vague that I couldn't tell where the engagement point was.

Drive an R53 Mini Cooper S with the 6 speed and get back to me.

PanchoVilleneuve ST > NotUnlessRoundIsFunny
07/05/2014 at 16:52

I've always said the best way to make a fun car is to give it slightly less power than would be necessary to make it go at reasonable speed. This makes you always have to drive the fuck out of it, turning every commute into a form of motorsport. The Fit does that perfectly.

Looking at the current Honda lineup, the Fit is now the Civic, the Civic is now the Accord, and the Accord is something that I'm surprised hasn't made Soichiro Honda's ghost haunt everybody currently working for the company.

I mean, the engine in it, the L15b, redlines at a very un-Honda 6900 rpm. It's got a long stroke for a 1.5 liter engine. It should not be a classic Honda rev monster, but it really feels like nobody told it that. It goes from idle to revline like a little yappy dog chained to a stake in the yard. It shoots right out before getting tugged back, but it is still at the end of the leash, barking and hopping and going I GOT MORE, I BELONG IN A MOTORCYCLE OR AN F1 CAR REALLY I DO BARK BARK BARK FUCK YOU CHAIN I GOT VTEC I'M GONNA KEEP GOING WHETHER YOU WANT ME TO OR NOT I'M NOT A LUMP I'M A HONDA BARK BARK BARK!

PanchoVilleneuve ST > Dsscats
07/05/2014 at 17:02

I have driven every Cooper S since the first one. It, sadly, has been infected with an incurable case of German-ness. A kind of super-precision, a form of over-competentness that fills you with a horrible sinking feeling. An awareness that most likely nobody involved with the development of the car, from the designers to the engineers to the test drivers, ever, once, for any reason, smiled. Every new Mini I've driven has been cursed with a feeling that a bunch of over-serious men made it, said "look, we made a fun car. Look at its big friendly eyes and feel how nimble it is. Fun car, ja? Why would this car not be fun we scowled at it and told it to be so."

The BMW-developed Minis have all felt, to me anyway, too good. This is a common complaint I have with German cars. They are developed in a way that has no flaws whatsoever. They feel like driving a movie a super-advanced ultra-powerful computer would make after analyzing a bunch of data and spitting out something it's sure will make those fragile, irrational meatbags feel that thing they call "emotions". They lack flaws, they are just so perfect and excellent that I find myself unable to form an emotional bond with them.

BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather > PanchoVilleneuve ST
07/05/2014 at 17:14

The Fit is the new Civic. It's such an amazing car. And the shifter is to die for. Do it :D

PanchoVilleneuve ST > BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather
07/05/2014 at 17:16

I'm doing it, I'm just waiting for the city of Oakland to finally get around to saying we sold my grandpa's house, even though people gave my aunt a check and are currently living in it and finally let us have the money from the sale.

Dsscats > PanchoVilleneuve ST
07/05/2014 at 17:28

While I completely disagree, I absolutely love his description. I drove an R53 and couldn't stop smiling. The tranny and clutch were just perfect, and that supercharger just emitting the faintest whine when I floored it made me giggle like a middle schooler being asked on a date. As for flaws, damn they've got em! What bout the hood release in the glove box? Breaking engine mounts? Questionable build quality? On the one I drove, the passenger window didn't go down,the boot release didn't work and the remote wouldn't unlock the car. I think I dodged a bullet by not getting that car, but I'll be damned if the thought of driving it doesn't still put a smile on my face.

PheeNoIVI > PanchoVilleneuve ST
07/05/2014 at 17:29

Fucking Oakland

PanchoVilleneuve ST > Dsscats
07/05/2014 at 17:41

I know it's a totally subjective thing, so I'm not going to argue. I'm glad you like it, I'm jealous, in fact. I'm sure if I lived with one day to day I'd be able to appreciate the flaws on the level you do, but my limited time kept them from being endearing flaws, like a hot girlfriend with dorky hobbies and a mild lisp, to annoying ones like a hot girlfriend who greets you with a punch in the face.

Dsscats > PanchoVilleneuve ST
07/05/2014 at 17:44

I said it before and I'll say it again: your descriptions are the greatest thing on earth

deekster_caddy > PanchoVilleneuve ST
07/05/2014 at 18:06

the Fit is too small for us, but I say VW does the whole shifter/clutch thing right. Our Passat Wagon ('08) is such a nice manual.

PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power > PanchoVilleneuve ST
07/05/2014 at 18:10

One of my 2 driver's ed cars was a fit. Granted, this one was a Slushomatic, but goddamn, that has to be one of the best sub 20K new cars out there. After 50K miles of driver's ed abuse, it still drove like a champ. The light steering was awesome around town, but what really shone was the chassis.
In this fit, I took a freeway ramp at about 60mph, since i didn't know I was supposed to go 35, and the car just stuck (with a bit of tire squeal...) the chassis on that thing is really well sorted!

ciscokidinsf > PanchoVilleneuve ST
07/05/2014 at 18:18

So how much are they asking for the purple manual Fit?

PanchoVilleneuve ST > ciscokidinsf
07/05/2014 at 18:24

18 something. It was an EX with the manual and no options.

protodad > PanchoVilleneuve ST
07/05/2014 at 22:55

I have an '07 but it was pretty beat when I got it. I have had many Mazda's and Honda's with great shifters but this one feels terrible. I think it must need a new shifter bushing as the throw is long and loose.

I don't expect it to be a sports car, but Honda always impressed me with fun, low powered cars, and the trans is a huge part of that feeling.

mazdaspeed2 > PanchoVilleneuve ST
07/05/2014 at 23:49

I will have to drive it to compare to my Mazda 2. This is all speculation from what I have heard from others, but I bet the motor in the Fit is better but I think my car would win in gearbox and the asking you to push it categories. Any chance you have driven a 2? I'm curious to see how it compares because I know the Fit is a solid car.

PanchoVilleneuve ST > mazdaspeed2
07/06/2014 at 00:30

The 2 is on my list of cars to try before I put money down on the Fit, just in case.

And that new Earth Dreams L15 in the Fit is great. Even people who aren't Honda fans have to admit, if Honda does any one thing well, it's engines. They always have.

mazdaspeed2 > PanchoVilleneuve ST
07/06/2014 at 00:55

I have to admit the engine in my 2 isn't the best, but I just put a K&N panel filter in and it does feel a bit more rev happy now. I definitely recommend the 2 though, it is a ton of fun to drive. You need to put a stiffening bar on the rear torsion beam, but it is just 2 bolts and $100. Cuts the body roll down by a lot, and gives it lift off oversteer!

I am very interested to hear your take on both cars. I should really go try a Fit...

PanchoVilleneuve ST > mazdaspeed2
07/06/2014 at 00:57

Driving the new fit, it's clear that during development Honda was fully aware that it was their most important model in the global market, and they made damn sure they did it right.

mazdaspeed2 > PanchoVilleneuve ST
07/06/2014 at 08:21

Now I am very interested in trying one.

BenLikesCars > PanchoVilleneuve ST
07/06/2014 at 11:32

I have a lot of respect for the (current, outgoing model) Honda Fit. And, you should consider a Ford Focus S sedan five-speed with zero options. That car feels like it was designed by WRC fan-boys who talk like the cast of Trainspotters (f-word pronounced with two o's) and abuse everything they drive like Scotland was abused by England about eight or nine hundred years ago. (That means thoroughly and utterly, fwiw.)

BenLikesCars > PanchoVilleneuve ST
07/06/2014 at 11:41

Because Soichiro. Make sure you get the current Fit before the new ones replace all the old ones. The new one has a powerful whiff of blasphemy about it that disturbs me. (See current Civic, second-generation RDX, Civic losing the front double-wishbone suspension, etc.)

Kinja'd!!!

BenLikesCars > PanchoVilleneuve ST
07/06/2014 at 12:14

The neat thing about the Focus S is that they apparently accidentally left the hot motor under the hood, that could just be me :)

I can relate to the 'small dog wants to beat up big dog' vehicular zest,

Kinja'd!!!

Saracen > PanchoVilleneuve ST
07/06/2014 at 23:23

I drove a Fit a couple of times, my ex-gf's (before she became an ex).

So got too inebriated to drive, so I had to drive it to get her home...luckily she is a manual elitist as well. But she complained every time I revved it up....

First of all: It's a fucking Honda. Their engines have ALWAYS been designed to let you rev the piss out of them.

Second: It was the only way to get ANY power out of that gutless 1.5 liter engine.

The Compromiser > Saracen
07/07/2014 at 01:49

so you reved the engine and your girlfriend had a Fit? Chicks man...